Agricultural Market Structure, Generic Advertising, and Welfare

This analysis begins with a definition and discussion of productive advertising. Then, following Dixit and Norman, persuasive advertising is used to study the welfare effects of generic advertising by marketing orders. The study first examines horizontal competition when the competing advertiser is a monopoly, and results show that the socially optimal level of advertising for a competitive marketing order is positive only if advertising raises monopoly output. Next, advertising choices of a marketing order which sells its output to a monopolistic distributor are considered. If the distributor is a monopolist, then marketing order advertising raises welfare. This finding is in marked contrast to the results for the horizontal case studied by Dixit and Norman.advertising, market structure, welfare, Marketing,

The distribution of class groups of function fields

Using equidistribution results of Katz and a computation in finite symplectic groups, we give an explicit asymptotic formula for the proportion of curves C over a finite field for which the l-torsion of Jac(C) is isomorphic to a given abelian l-group. In doing so, we prove a conjecture of Friedman and WashingtonComment: To appear, JPA

Resultados preliminares do projeto zoneamento do déficit hídrico do TSA utilizando técnicas de teledetecção espacial.

Definição do problema; Apresentação do organograma de trabalho a ser realizado; Dados tratados; Constituição do arquivo bruto.bitstream/item/143278/1/ID-31857.pdfNão publicado

Designing polymer-based piezoresistive strain sensors

Piezoresistive strain sensors have generated considerable interest due to their extensive applications [1]. Tremendous efforts have been devoted to develop highly sensitive strain sensors through a delicate assembly of conductive fillers or unique dedicated microstructure design [2]. The approaches toward conductive polymer composites (CPCs) lack although manufacturing scalability and extensibility. Efforts are still needed to carefully tailor the properties of CPCs based strain sensors so that they can demonstrate competitive advantages over those special structural designed competitors. Another challenge is to achieve optimum functionality with less filler materials In this contribution, extrusion processed carbon black (CB)-filled CPCs, including polymer blends comprising of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and olefin block copolymer (OBC), are explored as industrially relevant strain sensors. The influence of filler content, kinetic (compounding sequence) and thermodynamic (post thermal annealing treatment) factors on the conductivity and electro-mechanical sensing performances is investigated. For the more conventional binary CPCs, a general trend is demonstrated, showing a three-regime variation of fractional resistance change, ΔR/R0 versus strain, namely, initiation (I), reversible (II), and re-coverable damage (III) [3]. By exploiting the ternary blend system and controlling kinetic and thermodynamic factors as well as the amount of CB in each polymer phase, it is possible to design the phase morphology and tune the strain sensing performance. Compared with the binary system, comparable initial conductivity and especially monotonic variation relationship and higher gauge factor (sensitivity) can be realized with a lower filler content. With the developed sensor type a wide range of applications is possible, including the biomedical field. [1] M. Amjadi, K-U. Kyung, I. Park, M. Sitti, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2016, 26, 1678-1698. [2] X.-D. Wu, Y.-Y. Han, X.-X. Zhang, and C.-H. Lu, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2016, 8, 9936-9945. [3] L. Flandin, A. Hiltner, E, Baer, Polymer, 2001, 42, 827-83

Introduction to a Biological Systems Science

Biological systems analysis and biodynamic modelling of physiological and biological interrelationships in human body and mammal

Neighborhood perceptions moderate the association between the family environment and children\u27s objectively assessed physical activity

This study aimed to investigate whether parents\u27 perceptions of the neighborhood environment moderate associations between the family environment and children\u27s moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) outside of school hours. In total, 929 parents of 10-12 year-old children completed a questionnaire concerning the family environment, MVPA levels, and the neighborhood environment. Children wore an Actigraph (AM7164-2.2C) accelerometer. Compared with neighborhood environment factors, the family environment was more frequently associated with children\u27s MVPA. Parental MVPA was positively associated with children\u27s MVPA, but only among children whose parents reported a high presence of sporting venues. Having more restrictive physical activity rules was negatively associated with children\u27s weekday MVPA in neighborhoods with high perceived stranger danger

Strategies for Managing Soil Fertility and Health in Organic Orchards - A Fact Sheet

This fact sheet is a report of research to provide fruit growers with locally adapted advice and solutions for managing soil fertility in certified organic stone-fruits.It includes information of transitioning to organic management; building soil organic matter and providing appropriate nutrients, including phosphorus, potassium, seconary nutrients and trace elements; soil testing; cover crops; mulches; and possible organic management systems

Inequality in physical activity, global trends by income inequality and gender in adults

Background: Physical inactivity is a global pandemic associated with a high burden of disease and premature mortality. There is also a trend in growing economic inequalities which impacts population health. There is no global analysis of the relationship between income inequality and population levels of physical inactivity. Methods: Two thousand sixteen World Health Organisation’s country level data about compliance with the 2010 global physical activity guidelines were analysed against country level income interquantile ratio data obtained from the World Bank, OECD and World Income Inequality Database. The analysis was stratified by country income (Low, Middle and High) according to the World Bank classification and gender. Multiple regression was used to quantify the association between physical activity and income inequality. Models were adjusted for GDP and percentage of GDP spent on health care for each country and out of pocket health care spent. Results: Significantly higher levels of inactivity and a wider gap between the percentage of women and men meeting global physical activity guidelines were found in countries with higher income inequality in high and middle income countries irrespective of a country wealth and spend on health care. For example, in higher income countries, for each point increase in the interquantile ratio data, levels of inactivity in women were 3.73% (CI 0.89 6.57) higher, levels of inactivity in men were 2.04% (CI 0.08 4.15) higher and the gap in inactivity levels between women and men was 1.50% larger (CI 0.16 2.83). Similar relationships were found in middle income countries with lower effect sizes. These relationships were, however, not demonstrated in the low-income countries. Conclusions: Economic inequalities, particularly in high- and middle- income countries might contribute to physical inactivity and might be an important factor to consider and address in order to combat the global inactivity pandemic and to achieve the World Health Organisation target for inactivity reduction

Protein Kinase C Activation Drives a Differentiation Program in an Oligodendroglial Precursor Model through the Modulation of Specific Biological Networks

Protein kinase C (PKC) activation induces cellular reprogramming and differentiation in various cell models. Although many effectors of PKC physiological actions have been elucidated, the molecular mechanisms regulating oligodendrocyte differentiation after PKC activation are still unclear. Here, we applied a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) approach to provide a comprehensive analysis of the proteome expression changes in the MO3.13 oligodendroglial cell line after PKC activation. Our findings suggest that multiple networks that communicate and coordinate with each other may finally determine the fate of MO3.13 cells, thus identifying a modular and functional biological structure. In this work, we provide a detailed description of these networks and their participating components and interactions. Such assembly allows perturbing each module, thus describing its physiological significance in the differentiation program. We applied this approach by targeting the Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) in PKC-activated cells. Overall, our findings provide a resource for elucidating the PKC-mediated network modules that contribute to a more robust knowledge of the molecular dynamics leading to this cell fate transition